Wisconsin native, conservative critic of everything.
"Once abolish the God, and the government becomes the God." ---G K Chesterton
"The only objective of Liberty is Life" --G K Chesterton
"Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies because they become fashions" --G K Chesterton
"A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition." -- Rudyard Kipling

Monday, April 03, 2006

Port Security? Fuggeddaboutit...

Lawrence I. Willis, general counsel for an AFL-CIO union representing longshoremen, said many harbor workers are concerned the rules for port IDs will be similar to those for credentials issued to truckers who haul hazardous materials. That program has been criticized as being too cumbersome, too expensive and too intrusive. It disqualifies drivers who've been convicted of certain felonies in the previous seven years.

"Our focus will be to make sure we have a program that roots out true security risks to the United States and doesn't unfairly and unjustly punish someone making a bad decision several years ago," Willis said. But TSA is not exactly Mr Speed, either:

...the Department of Homeland Security has been thinking about the problem since Sept. 11, 2001 – but it still hasn't been able to implement federal identification cards mandated for all harbor workers in 2002.

The ID system is almost two years past its deadline, and, despite renewed pledges to bring the program operational, many of the same bureaucratic hurdles that have delayed its implementation still exist.Chertoff's not taking phone calls:

A frustrated Rep. Frank A. LoBiondo (R-N.J.), chairman of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, said he is unable to get answers from Chertoff for why the agency didn't settle policy issues long ago nor is he optimistic the latest round of public statements mean the program will begin soon. But Hey!!!

The Chinese are our FRIENDS, you understand. So are the Arabs (unless they tell us in advance they believe in Sharia, or something.)